Hoodwink.



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EDMOND DE MOULIN AND ULYSSES DE MOULIN, OF GREENVILLE, ILLINOIS.

HOODWINK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application filed June 19,1905. Serial No. 265,988.

T0 all whom, t 11i/ty concern:

Be it known that we, EDMOND DE MOULIN and ULYssEs S. DE MOULIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Greenville, in the county of Bond and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Hoodwink, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hoodwinks.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form of hoodwink to be used by lodges and secret societies in initiations and other rites or for use wherever it is designed to blindfold or produce startling optical effects on the candidate, and is designed as an improvement upon a hoodwink for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to us under date of June 16, 1896, No. 562,071.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a hoodwink, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a view in elevation, taken from the rear of the device. F ig. 2 is a view in elevation of the casing, one of the plates of which is removed to exhibit the interior mechanism. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the face of the pad, which may be made of any suitable flexible material, such as soft leather, and suitably lined with velvet, felt, or other substance that will be agreeable to the face and is provided at each end with a strap Q, adjustable by means of eyelets 3 and a buckle 4. The pad is of -such contour as effectually to shut out all light from the sides and is provided with a nose-piece 5, preferably of soft material and shaped to conform to the contour of the nose and operating in conjunction with the face-pad effectively to preclude entrance of light.

Attached to the pad 1 in any suitable manner is a casing 6, consistingof a front plate 7 and a back plate 8, each of which is provided with eye-openings 9 and 10, arranged in alinement, the eye-openings 10 in the front plate 7 being surrounded by a marginal flangeor rim 11, which is adapted to project through the pad, and thereby prevent the material thereof from interfering with the vision. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the casing is provided on one side with a circular recess 12, which will adapt the casing to fit over the nose of the wearer and also operate to bring the eye-openings into proper range with the eyes, thereby to insure the wearer an unobstructed vision when desired. Arranged within the casing are two pairs of shutters 13 and 14, the pair of shutters 13 being opaque and constructed of any material suitable for the purpose-such as metal, celluloid, or the like-and the pairof shutters 14 being transparent and of some colored material, such as red cell'uloid or any other similar material that is not frangible.

It is one of the objects of this invention to dispense with the intermeshing teeth that are shown in the patent referred to for the purpose of causing simultaneous movement of a pair of shutters in the same direction, so that the device is simplified in its construction, and therefore rendered cheaper and less liable to get out of repair. To eifect this result, there is combined with the casing two spaced studs 15, upon which the two pairs of shutters are journaled, as clearly shownin Eig. 2, the shutters being ofthe appropriate shape to iit within the casing and to secure the sealing of the eye-openings when it is desired positively to hoodwink the wearer and also to cause the colored shutters to be disposed opposite the eye-openings when a certain effect is desired. The simultaneous movement of the shutters is eected by providing one with an arcuate slot 16 and the other with an eyelet 17 to engage the slot, it being seen that when upward movement is imparted to one of the shutters of each pair that the eyelet or pin 17 will ride in the slot 16, and thereby effect simultaneous lifting or moving of the other shutter in the same direction.

The means for operating the two pairs of shutters consists of two rods 18 and 19, the

former of which is secured by an eyelet 20 to one of the shutters 13 and the rods 19 being connected by an eyelet 21 with one of the shutters 14, the upper end of each rod having combined with it a knob or button 22, by which movement may be imparted thereto, the knobs being spaced apart a suiicient distance to prevent interference in their operation.

IOO

As a means for holding each pair of the shutters in raised or in inoperative positionthat is, away from the sight-openingthe pins 'have combined with them coiled 5 springs 23, which bear, respectively, against the upper face of one pair of shutters and the under face of the other pair, and by the friction exerted by the springs either pair of shutters will be held in inoperative posi- IO tion without any possibility of dropping.

This feature is one of importance, inasmuch as it materially simplifies the construction of the device and renders it equally positive in operation as that shown in the patent re- Y I5 ferred to.

In order to prevent the shutters from working against the inner faces of the plates, the latter are provided with pairs of inward-projecting studs or bosses 24, and in one pair of 2O these bosses, or those on the near plate, the

pins l5 are secured, the other pair of bosses, or those on the front plate, being perforated to receive the terminals of the pins l5, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. By this arrangement it will be seen that while the shutters .m ay be allowed to work close to the inner purposes intended.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. A hoodwink comprising a casing, two pairs of shutters pivoted therein, the terminals of one of the shutters of each pair being provided with an arcuate slot, and the like terminal of each of the other shutters being provided with means'to engage the slots.

2. A hoodwink embodying a casing, vpairs of shutters mounted for pivotal movement therein, means for imparting simultaneous movement to the shutters of a pair, friction means for holding one pair of shutters in inoperative position while the other pair is in use, and means for holding the shutters out of contact with the inner walls of the casing.

3. A hoodwink embodying a casing, the two members of which are provided with inward-projecting bosses, pintles 'secured in one of the bosses, two pairs of shutters mounted upon the pintles, springs carried by the pintles and interposed between the shutters, and means for actuating the shutters.

4E. A hoodwink comprising a casing, two pairs of shutters arranged therein, one of each pair being provided with an arcuate slot and the other of each pair being provided with a projection to engage the slot, friction devices disposed between the shutters, and a rod connecting with one of each pair of shutters and projecting beyond the casi-ng.

5. A hoodwinl; comprising a casing, a pair of shutters pivoted therein, the terminal of one of the shutters being provided with an arcuate slot, and the like terminal of the other shutter being provided with means to engage the slot, and means for actuating the shutters.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own vwe have hereto aiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses. v

EDMOND DE MOULIN. ULYSSES S. DE MOULIN. Witnesses:

C. M. DIEHL, H. C. DIEHL. 

